Congratulations Pour In for Paul Skenes After Receiving Prestigious Honor on Monday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 3:50 PM ET

Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes’ second MLB season is winding down, and with just a handful of starts remaining, he’s on pace for another Cy Young-caliber campaign.

As a rookie last season, Skenes finished third in NL Cy Young voting, behind Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler. This year, he’s considered a frontrunner for his first award.

The former LSU star is currently 10-9 with a 1.92 ERA, 7.4 WAR, and a 0.921 WHIP across 30 starts and 178 innings pitched for the Pirates.

While the Cy Young is a remarkable achievement, Skenes was recently honored as the Pirates’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes a player who exemplifies exceptional sportsmanship, community involvement, and contributions to their team.

Here are your nominees for the 2025 Roberto Clemente Award!

You can vote now through Sept. 28 at https://t.co/8DlxacTTau. #ClementeDay pic.twitter.com/C9AGDVgyic
— MLB (@MLB) September 15, 2025

In the wake of the honor, Skenes was seen helping out with a local Pittsburgh Veteran Leadership Program on Monday, alongside several teammates.

“This is a responsibility that we have,” Skenes said. “It’s a crazy platform, and we have to do good. We have a responsibility to use our platform for good, so it’s great to be out here… we’re honoring the legacy of Roberto and making a difference in people’s lives, but there’s more work to be done.”

We have a responsibility to honor Roberto, #Pirates out in the community for Roberto Clemente Day
Paul Skenes pic.twitter.com/2JxeogaNuP
— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) September 15, 2025

Fan reactions:

"Extremely well-deserved. Slam-dunk future winner of the Clemente Award, too," a fan said.

Someone else added, "Of all the praise Paul Skenes has rightfully received, this is among the highest."

Another person wrote, "Paul for another deserved award!!! Congratulations!"

"An absolute LEGEND! Congrats!" One more fan commented.

Paul Skenes called the award “probably the most meaningful thing I could win,” and even received a message from Roberto Clemente Jr. after being named the Pirates’ representative.

Clemente Jr., whose father spent his entire 18-year career with Pittsburgh from 1955 to 1972, said: "[Paul Skenes] way of living life reminds me of Dad. It’s something very, very powerful to see.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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